pianos

Luke is one cool dude. We invited the UK-based artist on the show to talk about his project "Play Me, I'm Yours," which installs pianos on street corners in a city, allowing anyone to play at any time. But then learned: he also designs hospital atriums. He creates glass sculptures with lightning. He sends hot air balloons up over cities to play music and inspire peoples' dreams. And he's colorblind. Jarret speaks with him about his artistic process, installing street pianos in Boston in Summer 2013, and the differences between foxes and hedgehogs.

Steve sits down with The Piano Whore himself, Mark Weiser of NYC's "Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos."  Steve and Mark get to the root of Mark's philosophy on a "New York Style" dueling piano show, as well as some discussion of Mark's stake in musical theater scene in the big apple.  Tune in!

It's been a while since the hosts have gotten together for a chat.  Steve has been busy recovering from pneumonia, Paul has been busy interviewing guests and keeping the podcast alive.  Jarret has been busy surveying real estate in Boston.  That being said, we're back with another episode discussing a variety of topics... "new country" music, facebook dramas in the DP forum, cover charges, and celebrity encounters in the world of dueling pianos.  Tune in!   

Matt Mello will always hold a special place in the hearts of Jarret & Steve.  They were both trained by Matt at Jake Ivory's in Boston several years ago.  Jarret and Matt sit down to chat about Matt's long career at Jakes, training new players, and the Jake Ivory's "format" that worked so well for so long.  Tune in!  

Rich Cooper is a veteran of dueling pianos and one hell of a musician.  Steve caught up with Rich while they were both performing on the Norwegian Epic back in August.  Tune in to hear their conversation about traditional dueling pianos vs. bandalong dueling pianos, playing solo vs. dueling, and what it's like playing for such an eclectic mix of audiences out in Europe.  

Fresh off their recent hiatus, the hosts are back with a brand new episode.  Steve and Paul sit down to catch up on what they've been up to this past month, and Paul shares a story about having a rough weekend on the job.  Tune in!  

Today's episode features Adam Brooks, an improv comedy pianist and songwriter whose new show Paragon Park: The Musical opens this Friday.  Jarret chats with Adam about the "groove" of an orchestra being channeled through the conductor, and the groove of an improv or dueling piano audience being channeled through, well, the performers.  Lastly, everyone involved with this episode is a big supporter of the "yes, and..." principle of improv!  Tune in!   

Dave Roberts is the CEO of Chicago Dueling Pianos, co-writer of "The Curly Shuffle", and an undisputed veteran of the dueling piano concept.  Steve and Dave sit down for a chat at Dave's home in Chicago to discuss the origins of dueling pianos, the future of the concept, and a wide variety of other topics.  Tune in!  

Today's episode features Greg Asadoorian, road warrior and consummate pro working the dueling and solo piano bar circuits around the globe.  Steve and Greg sit down to chat about what it's like maintaining such an intense schedule and constantly bouncing from one format to another.  From St. Maarten to Aruba, Amsterdam to Boston, and New Haven to Lincoln...Greg has seen a million faces, and he's rocked them all!  

It's time for another roundtable discussion with your Piano Barbarian hosts!  Steve, Jarret, & Paul get together to talk shop about hecklers, wrist injuries, vocal care, and much more.  Tune in!  

Piano gigs abroad can be hard to come by, unless you know the right people.  Pat George, CEO of The Entertainment Agency, is one of them, and he's booked pianists in rooms around the world for decades. Jarret talks with him about performing solo versus dueling pianos, how disco killed rock shows, and what bar owners look for in an entertainer. Plus, proof that Diana Krall can't cut it as a singalong pianist.

Jason & Adam work nearly every night in the touring production of Wicked, the smash-hit musical about the land of Oz before Dorothy crashed her house in it. Jason is the conductor and Adam is one of several keyboard players, ocassionally conducting himsel.  Basically, they have bad-ass musical theatre jobs, and Paul managed to talk them about their careers and musical theatre whilst only bringing up Hawaiian strippers once.  Wicked has done much to keep theatre alive in this world, and guys like Jason & Adam are the backbone of that success.

Steve Dorian of Rockapella fame sits down to discuss his unique career in the music business.  The multi-talented tenor reminisces about his time as a rollerblading singing guitarist for Busch Gardens as well as his current work with the world famous Rockapella.  We also find out Keith Lockhart, conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra, is a great guy to have a few beers with!  Tune in!

Being around smart people makes you more smartier!  Mike Cappo is a brilliant Colorado musician, and he and Paul hashed out the value of pro-marimba gigs, big rooms, and what makes you a success.  Is bar-singing an artform or a sciene?  Stay tuned at the end of the episode for an original track by Mike called "Watch the Walls."  Paul already feels much smurter.

To celebrate the 25th episode of Piano Barbarians, your intrepid hosts Steve, Jarret, & Paul discuss poisonous crowds and tipping in cashless societies.  Also, we compare the sack of our podcast to the sack of Facebook forums and draw conclusions that will shock you.  Are you in the 90, the 9, or the 1?  Tune in!  

Our guest this week is Chris Keenan, Entertainment Director of Boynton's Taproom in Manchester, NH.  Chris sits down with Jarret to discuss the Jake Ivory's mystique, the challenges of a "theater style" performance space, and his auspicious beginnings performing for the Boston Derby Dames.  

Greg Sampson is a world traveled veteran of the cruise ship piano bar scene.  He sits down in Barbados to chat with Steve about his background in radio, his transition from playing in cover bands to dueling pianos at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, and his eventual tenure on the high seas with various cruise ship companies.  Enjoy!  

Steve sits down with Mr. "Fake it till ya Make it" Steve Kouba in Barbados to chat about Chicago, Dueling Pianos, playing solo, the NCL Epic, and much more...tune in!

Choke holds, chipped teeth, and getting arrested on stage.  Paul sits down with dueler Steve Dakin in Boise, Idaho for some great stories highlighting the absurdities of dueling pianos.  Oh yeah, and there's also some discussion of adapting to the energy of a room.  

Jarret sits down with "Barry from Boston" to discuss the lifestyle and the wild variety involved with gigging in the Caribbean and Europe.  Tune in for some great history about piano bar world!